a) Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to an adapter for ophthalmologic equipment, in particular for equipment for photodynamic therapy (PDT) or for laser coagulation in the eye, the adapter being provided for the defined fastening and positioning of a laser link on slit lamp microscopes.
For such equipment, the laser link is used for introducing the radiation usually supplied via light conductors from distant laser radiation sources into the eye of the patient and for directing or splitting off light for the observation of the interior of the eye into the observation ray path of the slit lamp microscope.
b) Description of the Related Art
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,711, the provision of a fixed arm for a laser coagulation device (laser link) is known, wherein this fixed arm has means for connecting this device in a precisely defined relative position to the housing of the slit lamp microscope. This laser link is used for introducing laser radiation for coagulation into the eye of the patient and for positioning it at the places to be irradiated in the eye.
The disadvantage of this device is the fact that attaching the laser link and exchanging the same is not possible for different slit lamp microscopes, since a separate link must be provided for each different combination of equipment (link-slit lamp) because of the arm that is permanently attached to the link.
From the in-house print publication xe2x80x9cLaser Spot delivery Devices for the OcuLight SL/SLxxe2x80x9d of the company Optomed Corp., 733 North Shoreline Blvd. Mountain View, Calif. 94043, USA, the provision of a transition piece between a laser link and a slit lamp microscope which is adjustably connected by means of a dovetail joint with the link is known. The transition piece comprises means for setting and adjusting the mutual positions of the respective parts and is therefore of a complicated construction and expensive to produce.
It is therefore the primary object of the invention to create exchangeable adapters for ophthalmologic equipment with which the exchangeability of a link and different slit lamp microscopes is made possible while maintaining an intended and defined relative position of a link and a slit lamp microscope.
According to the invention, this object is met by an adapter for ophthalmological equipment for the defined connection and positioning of a laser link on the housing of different slit lamp microscopes which comprises a base body, on the one end of which fastening means are provided for fastening it to a housing of a slit lamp microscope in a manner that is positionally aligned, releasable and has no play. On the other end of the base body and contiguous to the laser link, first means of coupling or coupling elements and/or position securing elements are provided for coupling the laser link to the housing of the slit lamp microscope in a manner that is positionally aligned, releasable and has no play. These first coupling means can be engaged in a rigid and yet releasable operative connection with matching complementary second coupling means.
Thus, the adapter for ophthalmologic equipment for the defined connection and positioning of a laser link on the housing of different slit lamp microscopes has a base body on the one end of which fastening means are provided for fastening it to the housing of a slit lamp microscope in a manner that is positionally aligned, releasable and has no play, and on the other end of which contiguous to the laser link first means of coupling or coupling elements and/or position securing elements are provided for coupling the laser link to the housing of the slit lamp microscope in a manner that is positionally aligned, releasable and has no play. These first coupling means can be engaged in a rigid and yet releasable operative connection with matching complementary second coupling means.
It is thus advantageous if at least the one fastening means is or the more than one fastening means are adjustable along one axis relative to the base body.
An advantageous connection results when the first and second coupling means are frictionally and positively locked, the positively locking connection being used for the mutual positional alignment and the frictionally locking connection for the rigid and yet releasable coupling of the parts to be connected to each other.
The first coupling means of the base body and the second coupling means of the laser link are coupled to each other with a releasable connection so that the exchangeability of the laser link and the connection of a laser link with varying slit lamp microscopes can be realized.
It is also advantageous if a positively locking connection is provided for the positional alignment of the laser link on the base body of the adapter and if a rigid and yet releasable frictionally locking connection is provided for the fixing of the base body to the laser link. For this purpose, a screw or bayonet connection that is by itself known could simply be provided between the base body and the laser link.
It is also advantageous if a positively locking connection is provided between base body and laser link by means of which relative movement of the two parts connected with each other is avoided.
It is furthermore advantageous if the one or more fastening means arranged on the base body of the adapter with which the adapter can be coupled to the housing of the slit lamp microscope can be adjusted or positionally altered with at least one degree of freedom to attain a precisely defined mutual position of the connected parts.
It is advantageous if the fastening means is connected to the base body of the adapter by a joint which permits the rotation of the base body relative to the fastening means on one axis so that the laser link, which is coupled to the base body of the adapter by use of the first and second coupling means, can be removed from the ray path of the slit lamp microscope. Advantageously, means are provided at the endpoints of the rotation range of the base body which bring the latter into a defined position relative to the fastening means and fix it in its position by applying force. Suitable for this purpose is, for example, a catch of a type that is known as such which consists of a catch element which has a force applied to it and a groove. The force can, for example, be generated by a spring.